BFFFFs Forever
by CallMeSempai27
Summary: After a stressful and emotionally exhausting fourth year, Harry is so done with all things magical and supernatural. Hoping to have a normal, stress free summer (or as stress free as it could be with the Dursleys), Harry returns to No. 4 Privet Drive only to have his Potter luck strike again, this time in the form of the Ghost with the Most.
1. Chapter 1: Hey, Somebody's on the Roof!

**Summary: After a stressful and emotionally exhausting fourth year, Harry is so done with all things magical and supernatural. Hoping to have a normal, stress free summer (or as stress free as it could be with the Dursleys), Harry returns to No. 4 Privet Drive only to have his Potter luck strike again, this time in the form of the Ghost with the Most. **

**A/N: Ok this is a long note but bare with me. This is my first story on this site (just to let you know). I recently got this plot bunny stuck in my head and, originally, I was just going to find a fanfiction that would satisfy my needs. Unfortunately, there's hardly any Beetlejuice crossovers and so like any fan that isn't satisfied with the fanfiction options I said, "Fine. I'll just do it myself". So here we are! Also, there will be no romance! At least between Harry and Beetlejuice, I will try my best to write any canon romance though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Beetlejuice or, really, any of the characters.  
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**Chapter 1: Hey, Somebody's on the Roof! **

Sighing in exhaustion Harry flopped onto his rickety bed. It had been another day of hard work doing "chores", cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, scrubbing the toilet, and dusting the living room where all part of his routine plus more. Normally, he'd be grumbling in the unfairness of it all but not this time. This time, Harry embraced his chores and cleaned the house with vigor he hadn't had since he was four, back when he still thought cleaning would earn the Dursleys praise.

Now, he just wanted to forget. He wanted to forget how Cedric looked like lying there, not breathing, the feel of Pettigrew running that knife down his forearm, the sheer terror of facing his resurrected enemy. He just wanted to forget. The labor that the Dursleys made him do was his way of escape, it also helped his nightmares. Exhausted from a day's work, Harry usually passed out from exhaustion. Unfortunately, this method didn't always work. At times, he would still jerk awake in the middle of the night crying out Cedrics' name as he was hit with the Merlin awful Avada Kedavra.

Reluctantly closing his eyes, Harry fell into a restless sleep full of darkness and occasional flashes of green light.  
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Early the next morning Harry was up and about, washing dishes and making breakfast.

"Boy!"

Scrambling to turn off the stove Harry stood at the kitchen doorway, "Yes Uncle Vernon?"

The whale of a man grunted, "We are going to visit Marge for a few days."

Harry felt his stomach drop in dread. Aunt Marge was a vile woman who enjoyed making Harry suffer. One time when he was six, Aunt Marge sent Ripper-her prized pitbull, after him and he'd been stuck up in a tree for hours on end. Harry would even dare to say she was worse than Voldemort. At least he didn't act like Harry was an unwanted mistake. Oh, wait. He does.

He licked his lips in nervousness, "W-When are we leaving?"

"_You aren't going_ boy!" Vernon snarled, spittle flying everywhere.

Harry practically melted in relief. That was one disaster averted. Uncle Vernon must have been thinking that he would "attack" his sister again. With how his year was going, Harry just might have if Marge pushed him far enough.

"While we're gone I want no _funny business_, you hear?!"

Frantically nodding Harry replied, "Yes sir! I promise not to do anything Uncle Vernon!"

A sniff from the right caught his attention, Aunt Petunia glared at him with beady eyes, "Not _nothing_, boy. I have made a list of things I want done by the time we get back, _am I understood_?"

Gulping and hoping to Merlin that his luck didn't act up, Harry nodded his head, "Yes Aunt Petunia."

Satisfied, she turned around to walk into the living room, "Are you ready, popkin?"

Vernon gave Harry one last long look before lumbering away.

Two hours later and the Dursleys were gone, off to Merge's house for three whole days, and Harry was left alone. Alone. In the house. With his thoughts.

This sudden realization was crippling to Harry. Everything came crashing down and he started gasping, almost instantly not being able to breath. In the back of his mind Harry realized he was having a panic attack, but could do nothing to stop it. Curling up in a ball in the middle of the hallway he tried his best to take in air. Harry was shaking, he didn't want to be alone, not now, maybe not ever. Clenching his eyes shut Harry choked out a sob as he drowned in the sound of his own heartbeat racing.

_Thud_.

Gasping, his eyes snapped open. Freezing in shock and fear Harry strained his ears to listen closely.

_Thud_. _Thud_.

There it was again, and it was coming from above. Standing up with his heart pumping but for a different reason he looked around for a weapon. Uncle Vernon had locked all of his things in the cupboard under the stairs as soon as they got home from the train station so Harry couldn't use his wand.

Running up stairs as quietly as possible Harry opened the door to Dudley's room and grabbed the first thing he saw, which happened to be a baseball bat. Gripping the handle, Harry cautiously walked outside.

_Thud_. _Thud_. _Thud_.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, he squinted and saw a humanoid figure banging his head on the chimney causing the thudding noise. The Gryffindor could faintly hear the person muttering, "Stupid...tired...nobody sees...the point…"

Feeling a lot braver than a few minutes ago, Harry shouted towards the figure, "Hey! What are you doing?!"  
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Beetlejuice was having a horrible day. Scratch that, he was having a horrible _afterlife_. After the whole fiasco with Lydia and the Maitlands he spent _five years_ waiting for his turn to meet Juno only for the old hag to nag at him for what felt like _days_. Then he spent the next two years trying to make someone say his name, or hell! For someone to even _see_ him. But no. So here he was, moping on some random ass house. Damn those middle class, suburban and white ghosts! Damn the Deetz! And damn that gothy teen, Lydia! He was _so close_ to getting his freedom! _So Close! _But then his underaged bride had to go and stab him.

So deep in his depressed filled thoughts Beetlejuice didn't notice someone opening the door to the house he was perched on. Nor did he notice when a head of messy hair stopped to look up at him.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Freezing mid head slam, Beetlejuice slowly turned his head. If he were alive his heart would have been beating a mile a minute, hope swelling in his chest.

Immediately, the demon spotted who had spoken and at that moment, as if God was mocking him, the clouds that had mysteriously rolled in during the short amount of time it had taken to turn his head, parted to shower this mysterious person in a golden light.

"Uriel, is that you?" Beetlejuice breathed.

The angel in front of him tilted his head in confusion, "Who?"

Snapping back to reality Beetlejuice floated towards his savior, though he made sure to stay a few feet away from the breather, you know, as a precaution. He totally wasn't afraid of this puny kid, nuh-huh. No siree. Still...

"You can see me?" he cautiously asked.

The kids brow furrowed, "Am I not supposed to?"

"No-Yes-NO! I mean-"

As the uncharacteristically flustered ghost tried to explain himself, Harry frowned in confusion. What was this guy on about? On second thought...did he really just _fly_? Gazing at the person before him Harry realized that this guy wasn't normal. _Oh, now you noticed?_ A sarcastic voice in his head piped up. But the young wizard couldn't really be faulted for his lack of observation skills, he _was_ having a panic attack a few moments ago after all.

As if my magic (ha!) all of Harry's earlier fears and concerns came rushing back. Panicking and trying to find a distraction, his eyes fixed on the-the _being_ in front of him. Who, was still babbling on about something...ghosts? Whatever, he needed to do something, _now_.

"Do you want to come inside?" Harry blurred out.

Beetlejuice could only blink in confusion, "What?"

Blushing in mortification, Harry stammered out, "I-I uhm...I m-mean," now it was his turn to be flustered. In his head Harry was screaming at himself, who invited a total stranger into their house when they're alone?! Harry freakin' Potter. That's who.

Beetlejuice on the other hand was unexpectedly calm. There was something strangely calming knowing that the other person was just as anxious. Feeling his confidence being restored he grinned, "I'd love to babes!"

_Babes? What? _Outwardly Harry responded, "Ah, right. Um, follow me then?"

Soon they were both sitting down at the kitchen table across from each other drinking the tea Harry prepared. _This is so awkward_. Harry internally bemoaned, _what was I thinking?! _Fidgeting the boy who lived tried to desperately think of something to say.

Beetlejuice, not one to stay silent for so long decided to break the tension, "So babes, what's your name?" Not that he really cared. The demon just wanted something to steer the conversation towards _his_ name. If he couldn't become mortal, then he'll do the next best thing; create chaos. After all, he was an opportunist.

Feeling relieved that the other decided to speak up first Harry happily told him his name, "I'm Harry Potter." Pausing to think, poor naive Harry then continued, "What's yours?"

_Bingo_. Beetlejuice couldn't help the grin that split his face, floating off his seat he exclaimed, "Why babes, I'm so glad you asked!" Trying to rein in his excitement he said, "Sadly, I'm not able to tell you my name," The ghost sighed dramatically, "It's part of my curse."

Leaning toward him in interest Harry gasped out, "Curse?" At that moment something occurred to Harry, leaning back in his chair he frowned, "Wait. Who did you say you where again?"

Beetlejuice groaned, "Come on babes! Weren't you listening to anything I said?!"

Harry sheepishly shook his head, slumping in disbelieve the demon sulked and then brightened giving Harry a whiplash with how fast his emotions changed.

Rising up, Beetlejuice, with a flair of his hand conjured a sign that flashed white and green lights and with a flourish he bowed, "I'm the one and only Ghost with the Most, Demon from Hell, and Bio-Exorcist of the Netherworld! I am-!" With a snap he conjured up a giant beetle and a cup of orange juice, proudly displaying them with jazz hands he looked expectantly at Harry.

Gapping at the display Harry racked his brain for a name that would fit those two descriptions, "Uh...your name's...Orange Bug?...Wait. Ghost?!"

Everything he conjured poofed out of existence and Beetlejuice deflated like a balloon, literally. "Jeez sweetheart, you're killin' me all over again here!"

Crossing his arms defensively Harry scowled, "You know I could just kick you out, right?"

The ghost scoffed, waving a dismissive hand in Harry's direction, "Please, as if you could."

Feeling offended Harry rebuffed, "I could!"

Quickly losing interest in the conversation, Beetlejuice steered the topic back to his name. "So, any other name guesses?"

Harry visualized the objects that the demon showed him earlier; a bug and a carton of orange juice. Maybe it wasn't just any bug but a specific type? Having a flash of inspiration Harry snapped his fingers, "Beetlejuice! Your name's Beetlejuice!"

_Bing, bing, bing!_

Confetti exploded everywhere, "We have a winner!" Beetlejuice announced in his best talk show host voice. "Now, kid, all you gotta do is say my name three times! Three times, got that? It must be spoken unbroken!"

Feeling as if something was off, Harry crossed his arms stubbornly and asked, "Why?"

There was a moment of silence Beetlejuice felt all the past years anger and frustration bubble up, "_Why?_" Beetlejuice whispered.

Harry's neck hairs stood up in warning and he gulped, shrinking back at the feeling of the room dropping temperatures giving him flashbacks of dementors.

He tried to rein in his temper but was failing to do so, "Why? Why? _Why, why, why, why_? **WhY**?!" Hair turning a crimson red and pupil enlarging until they covered his sclera, Beetlejuice snarled, "**BeCAUse I wANt tO bE FreE!**" He slammed his fist on the table causing it to buckle and break from the force.

Harry yelped in fright bushing even further back on his chair causing him to topple over. This seemed to snap Beetlejuice out of it and he instantly rushed over, "Hey you-"

The words seemed to have dried up in his mouth because the kid (Larry?) flinched away from his presence. A forgine emotion welled up within him and Beetlejuice immediately backed off, running a hand through his hair he swallowed, "Shit. Sweetheart, I-I didn't...I mean..." Not being able to face the kid, Beetlejuice disappeared. Leaving no indication that he was ever there to begin with.

Harry stared wide eyed at the spot that the ghost had just occupied. Shakingly, he stood up and walked over to where the broken table layed. Harry remembered the day Aunt Petunia had gotten this particular table, she had practically begged for Uncle Vernon to buy it for her, she argued, _But darling! Just think of what the other women in the neighborhood will think if we don't get this! You know that I host our monthly tea parties! What will they think when they see we still have last years dequore?!_ Needless to say, she had gotten that dining table and was quite proud of it.

Now, here it was, not even a year old and it was laying there broken. Harry was devastated, in fact, one could say that part of the reason Harry had been frightened earlier was because he knew he was going to get it once the Dursleys came home and saw the smashed table. At the moment Beetlejuice had advanced to help him up, Harry had, for a split second, thought that it was Uncle Vernon who was coming towards him. Which is why he now stood in silent despair and confusion, why did Beetlejuice leave just like that? Why, after all he had said about wanting his freedom did he just disappear? For some reason Harry was a bit hurt at the abrupt departure.

Shaking his head to get rid of these confusing feelings Harry sat on the floor to think. _How am I going to fix this before Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia get home?_ Harry supposed he could magick it back together but therein lies the problem, how was he going to get his wand out of his trunk which was under the stairs? Maybe he could try doing it wandless?

Staring intensely at the fragmented table Harry stuck his tongue out in concentration and muttered the mending charm, "_Reparo_."

Nothing. Nothing had happened, slumping in defeat the wizard sighed, "Guess I'm not cut out for wandless magic."

His thoughts wandered back towards Beetlejuice. He was weird, but Harry found that he didn't mind that. Really, anything was better than snake faced Voldemort in his opinion. Even if Beetlejuice was a ghost-demon-thing. Come to think of it, he wasn't like any of the ghosts Harry had seen, Beetlejuice actually seemed much more powerful. Suddenly thinking of something Harry sat up. That's right! Beetlejuice could fix this mess! If he could conjure up a bunch of things with no problem, surely he could fix the table? After all, wasn't he the one to break it in the first place?

Mind made up Harry took a deep breath but stopped himself before he uttered even the first syllable of his name. Beetlejuice had left in a bad mood, so what if he didn't show up even after Harry had called him? What if…?

Harry licked his dry lips in nervousness, what if the reason he left was because of _him_? Not feeling as enthusiastic about calling Beetlejuice, Harry flopped onto his back. "But I need him to fix this." He murmured to himself.

Screwing up his courage, Harry hyped himself up, "Come on, Potter! Where's your Gryffindor bravery?"

"Beetlejuice."

Harry held his breath in anticipation, thinking that something grand would happen. When nothing did he said it a second time, "Beetlejuice." As he was gearing up to say his name a third time, there was a sudden poof of smoke as Beetlejuice appeared right above Harry's laying form. The ghost with the most but his hand over Harry's mouth and said in a soft whisper, "Don't."

Harry could only gape up at Beetlejuice, removing the demons' hand from his mouth Harry simply asked, "Why?"

Exhaling, Beetlejuice stood and helped Harry up to his feet, "Cuz babes, I-well I hate to say it but, I feel bad for scarin' ya into saying my name." Beetlejuice wanted to blench at what he was saying. Him? Feeling bad about scaring a breather? Psh, never! Yet, here he was, apologizing to one. Man, he hated his afterlife.

Harry felt perplexed, "You didn't scare me into saying your name. I just needed you to fix the dining table." He emphasized this by pointing towards said table.

Beetlejuice looked back and forth between Harry's scencere gaze and the broken table, "Oh." He paused, lightning up and grinning he crossed his arms, "In that case, I take back my apology! And you can call me anytime babes!" Beetlejuice winked.

Smiling Harry nodded, "Sure! Uh, can you fix the table now?"

With a snap of his fingers the table was as good as new, "Now, babes, what about we have some fun?" He smiled mischievously.

Harry's own inner marauder sprange forth at the ghosts' tone and he gave Beetlejuice a grin of his own, with matching grins they began to plan. At that moment, the neighborhood collectively shiverd, because the most chaotic ghost and the son of a prankster had just teamed up.  
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After the initial hiccup of their first meeting, Harry and Beetlejuice got on like a house on fire. Whenever Harry wasn't doing his chores he was pranking the neighbors with Beetlejuice (the best part of it all was that Beetlejuice made sure they couldn't link it back to them). Of course pranking wasn't the only thing they did, with Dudley not around they both watched TV and occasionally tried their hand at some video games. With the amount of fun he was having, Harry almost forgot about the Dursleys arrival. Almost.

Halfway through a level Harry gasped, "Oh no!"

Staring at the TV intently with a console in hand, Beetlejuice distractedly asked, "What's wrong kid?"

Harry jumped off the couch and rushed to turn off the TV, Beetlejuice gave an indigent 'hey' at that.

"What was that for babes? I was totally kicking your ass for a second there!" Beetlejuice complained.

Swiftly Harry started going around the living room cleaning up any mess they might have left, "I forgot my Aunt and Uncle were coming home today! If they see a speck out of place they'll-"

_Click_.

Harry could only watch in horror as the door slowly swung open.

**A/N: Ooh, cliffhanger!:0 Lol, I was going to write more but then I thought; nah. I hope you guys like this and that none of the characters are too oc I don't actually own the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book so I apologize if I miss anything (might mix things up with the movie since I DO own those). The Beetlejuice that I imagined while writing this was the musical version which is why you might see so many references (I haven't actually seen the musical, just heard the songs). Sorry about any grammar errors :( I don't have a beta and I'm too lazy to really read through it and edit. Soo, tell me what you think! Should I continue? Pls review! **


	2. Chapter 2: Discoveries

**A/N: Whoo! Another chapter! ^^ I actually managed to do a rough outline of where I want this story to go. However, sometimes when I write I end up going in a whole other direction, so we'll see. Oh! And sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes, this story is not betated! (is that even a word? Whatever, you know what I mean.)**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Harry Potter or Beetlejuice, they belong to their separate creators.  
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**Chapter 2: Discoveries **

Scrambling, Harry desperately tried to hide Beetlejuice behind him just as the Dursleys entered the house.

Vernon squinted suspiciously at the young wizard who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

"What are you up to boy?"

Shifting Harry hurriedly replied, "Nothing, Uncle Vernon!"

Receiving only a grunt in reply, Vernon went on to inspect the room, hoping to nitpick anything out of place.

Beetlejuice was looking bemusedly at the back of Harry's head. Floating so that he was in the kids view, Beetlejuice crossed his arms, "Ya know they can't see me, right?"

Smirking, he waved his arms right in front of Vernon's face. Beetlejuice even went as far as to make faces at him. Harry was greatly relieved to see his Uncle pay no attention to the ghosts' antics.

Apparently satisfied with his inspection, Uncle Vernon turned to Harry and said, "Go get the things out of the trunk."

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Harry went out the front door, Beetlejuice following at a much slower pace. The demon couldn't help but glance back at the whale of a man (he didn't even know breathers could get _that big_). He felt like _something_ was off with this suburban family, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. Deciding to shrug it off Beetlejuice continued on his way.

He came out to see Harry struggling to carry all the luggage with his skinny arms. Grinning, Beetlejuice extended an arm, "Need a hand?"

Harry looked up to see the ghost hold out a severed hand, blood still dripping from it. Normally, Harry would have snickered at the ghosts antics or rolled his eyes at the lame pun. But Harry felt like this wasn't the time for jokes, not when the Dursleys were here and could potentially overhear him talking to himself.

Brushing past Beetlejuice, Harry carefully entered the house and deposited the bags in the hallway. Gesturing for the bio-exorcist to follow him, Harry quietly and quickly climbed the stairs towards his room. It wasn't until he closed the door that he finally acknowledged the demons presence.

"Bee-"

"Nah-ah-ah!" Beetlejuice waved his hands, "What have I told you about my name, babes? Don't say it unless you mean it!"

"Right." Harry nodded sheepishly, "I forgot."

Beetlejuice shook his head, "What was that about babes? Usually you're much more fun to hang around with! So what's the big deal?!"

Harry took a deep breath and squirmed in place, "W-well...the thing is…"

Before he could even start his explanation there was a shriek followed by commotion downstairs when a sudden big bellowing roar echoed throughout the household.

"**BOY!**"

Harry startled, swallowing nervously he gave Beetlejuice a fleeting glance before bolting down stairs.

He entered the kitchen to see Aunt Petunia clutching Dudley close, covering his eyes while she stared wide eyes and pale faced at something behind Uncle Vernon.

"Y-yes Uncle Vernon?" Harry cursed at the audible crack in his voice, showcasing his fear.

"What. Is. THIS?!" Vernon pointed a sausage of a finger at the refrigerator.

Harry shakily turned to look at the refrigerator and found the door wide open showing, quite clearly, the contents inside. Harry could only gape in horror as he realized that all the food had rotted and was smelling of something pungent. On top of that some sort of slime dripped from the ceiling onto what could only be a human skull. Not to mention the various severed body parts piled in there.

Harry wanted to run. Beetlejuice had used the refrigerator to store all the items he had for the pranking they had done earlier, he had done so with the promise to clean it out as soon as they were done. At the time, Harry had been satisfied with the arrangements, not wanting the blood to get everywhere.

But now. Now, Harry was regretting allowing Beetlejuice to bring such grotesque things into the house. Harry was too busy falling into a deep pit of fear and despair that he did not notice Beetlejuice coming up behind him and uttering a soft 'shit' when he took stock of the scene before him.

Running out of patience (as if the man even had any), Vernon grabbed the front of Harry's shirt and lifted him up so that he was up close to his purpling face, "_You're going to clean this up with your bare hands until it's spotless! Do you understand, _**Boy?!**" He yelled out the last part causing Harry to turn his face in hopes of protecting himself from the spit his Uncle spewed out.

Satisfied that the wizard had been scared enough, Vernon flung him towards the refrigerator where Harry landed with a crash.

As he was scrambling to get up, Harry caught the eyes of the ghost who, up until now, had been an unusually quiet spectator. Harry ducked his head down, face burning in shame. He hated the fact that someone had seen the treatment he endured during his stay with the Dursleys.

At this moment, Harry was starkly reminded of that time in second year after Ron and the twins had rescued him. He remembered how Hermione made him promise to let them know if the Dursleys ever went too far again. Harry had reluctantly agreed only so that he could get his friends off his back. He never wanted _anyone_ to see this. _Ever. _

Yet, here was this guy who he barely knew, witnessing his greatest shame and embarrassment.

Trembling, Harry went to work, grabbing the nearest wipe he robotically started cleaning. As he wiped, Harry bit his lip as his eyes blurred with unshed tears. How embarrassing.  
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Beetlejuice was frozen.

He could do nothing but stare as the kid he had become quite fond of in a short period of time (he let him keep body parts in the fridge for fucks sake! Not even _Lydi_a was okay with that!), mechanically wiped _his_ mess.

That's right.

_His mess_.

….

This was his fault, wasn't it?

If he hadn't insisted on keeping that stuff here none of this would have happened! Then again…

Since when did he care?

Beetlejuice had a sinking suspicion that this situation. This _feeling._ Was going to be a regular occurrence, and he did _not_ like it. Being this vulnerable was..._aggravating_ to say the least.

Ever since the whole fiasco with Lydia, Beetlejuice has felt more unstable than he ever was before, if that was even possible. _Of course, it __**always**__comes back to_ _her and those damn Maitlands. _Their little stunt at the wedding showed just how _weak _the human body could be, and he was a bit- no- _deeply _scared by the experience. So caring this much, so soon after, was jarring. Watching his...friend? Yes. Friend. Getting yanked around like that by this brute, and now knowing, first hand, how much pain the kid was probably feeling, lit a fire in him like no other.

Beetlejuice felt the rage bubbling up to the surface like a volcano ready to erupt; slowly but surely replacing his earlier shock. Never before did he want to scare the _life_ out of a breather as badly as he wanted to right now. The more he replayed the previous scene, the more he wanted to _strangle the living shit out of these disgusting animals. _

_**SO **__**WhY**__** DoN'T **__**YoU**__**? **_

Feeling as if he was in a trance, Beetlejuice slowly turned his head, his body staying in place: like an owl catching sight of its prey. Glaring at the carefree family sitting in the living room watching TV as if nothing was wrong. His eyes glowed acid green and a disturbing smile creeped upwards until gums and teeth could be seen by all. Feeling demented, Beetlejuice clenched his hands, long nails puncturing his palms. He was shaking with the need to _**kill**_.

The demon from hell stood there for what felt like hours, trying to reign in his powers. His aura pouring out of him in wisps.

Fortunately, Harry was too busy in his own world of hurt and pain to notice the turmoil Beetlejuice was going through. If he had, Harry would have left the room screaming...probably.

Finally, Beetlejuice relaxed, cracking his neck and muscles, he pinching the bridge of his nose. Sneering at himself, Beetlejuice murmured, "Barley even known the brat and I'm already _this_ attached. Pathetic."

Gazing at the 'brat' in question, Beetlejuice realized that he was still scrubbing blood off the shelves.

Growling under his breath he carefully approached, the kid. Clearing his throat he said, "Uh, kid?"

No response.

Feeling awkward at the continued silence, Beetlejuice sighed, stretching out, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder and with a false cheer said, "Don't worry about it kid, I can vanish it all with a snap of my fingers!"

Harry jerked up in shock, having thought that the ghost had left him after seeing how pathetic Harry truly was. Feeling a strange warmth in his chest that quickly dissipated once he processed Beetlejuices' offer. Shaking his head rapidly, he croaked, "No. That'll just make things worse! The Dursleys have the ability to tell when anything weird happens!"

Beetlejuice frowned, "If you're sure-"

"Yes," The young wizard nodded seriously gazing deeply into the troubled eyes of his (temporary) companion, "I'm sure."

Hesitating a bit, Beetlejuice felt slightly helpless. Hating the vulnerability that this child brought out in him. Beetlejuice did what any emotionally stunted ghost would do; he fled.

Not dazed in the slightest by the ghost-demons' sudden disappearance; knowing that he could just summon him back, Harry continued on cleaning.  
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It wasn't until much later on, when the Dursleys had all fallen asleep, and the moon was high in the sky, did Harry call upon the bio-exorcist once more.

"Hey, um, Beetlejuice?"

With a poof of smoke, Beetlejuice arrived wearing a black and white striped bathrobe that showed _way_ too much ghost chest to be appropriate.

Casually throwing a beetle into his mouth he greeted Harry, "Sup babes. You called?"

Deadpanning, the wizard asked, "What are you wearing?"

Smirking, Beetlejuice got uncomfortably close to Harry, "Why, you like it?"

Wincing in disgust, Harry shoved him away, "Ew, no! No offense but I'm not into blokes! Besides, you're old enough to be my dad!"

"Actually, I'm old enough to be your ancestor." He stated smugly.

Staring blankly at the floating demon, Harry choked out a quiet, "What?"

Beetlejuice looked at him knowingly, "When did you think I died?"

Harry frowned, "I dunno, maybe eighty years ago?"

Beetlejuice felt offended, crossing his arms he snorted, "As if. I'm the most powerful being in the Netherworld for a reason, sweetheart!"

Sitting down on his rickety bed, Harry frowned, "You keep saying that: Netherworld. What's that?"

Waving his hand in nonchalance, Beetlejuice said, "Just where everyone goes after they die. No biggie. Now-" Gazing into Harry's eyes he said, "About your relatives…"

Resisting the urge to ask questions, Harry sighed, knowing this was coming from the moment BJ witnessed Uncle Vernon's anger.

Wait.

BJ?

_Well it __**is**__ easier than calling him by his full name. _True. Besides, was Beetlejuice his real name? Or was it his last name? Who named their kid Beetlejuice? He had so many questions!

"So?"

Snapping out of his thoughts Harry sighed once more, "Well…. It all started on Halloween-"

Harry talked and talked and talked for hours about the Dursleys, how he was a famous Wizard, as well as his many adventures at Hogwarts with his close friends. He left nothing out because, really, what did he have to lose? BJ had already proven he wouldn't intentionally hurt him. Right?

As Beetlejuice listened to this crazy ass story that the kid was spinning he couldn't help but look at this young wizard in a new light. He knew witches wizards where a thing, how could he not? Those pompous wand wavers loved to strut around like they owned the place. Yeah, he had his fair share of run-ins with those assholes, (and if part of that bitterness was due to the fact that, despite all their 'magic' they **still** couldn't see him? Well, that was his business and his business alone). But to find out Harry was one of them? How was he still alive?! Beetlejuice had seen many people cower and run from the smallest of things (chihuahuas), but this kid. Jesus, this kid ran into danger again and again with no fear of what lay beyond. That-that couldn't be healthy. It was borderline suicidal. At the thought of the 'S' word, Beetlejuice felt a fear like no other grip his non-beating heart.

After a long pause of silence, each lost in their own thoughts Beetlejuice gripped Harry's shoulders and fixed his gaze on him, "Kid. Listen. This is important, okay?" Beetlejuice waited until he had the kids full attention before continuing, "If you need me for anything. Anything at all, just say my name. Got that?"

Harry felt bewildered at such an oddly serious request coming from such a mischievous being. Despite this, however, Harry felt how important this was to Beetlejuice so he held out his pinkie, "I promise."

Lips twitching in amusement despite the serious atmosphere, Beetlejuice scrutinized the kids face for sincerity before raising his own pinkie and intertwining it with his. "I'll hold you to that...Larry."

Face dropping in disbelief Harry gawp, "Did...did you just call me Larry?"

"...No?" Beetlejuice's response came out more like a question.

Putting a hand against his chest, feeling a bit perplexed Harry carefully asked, "BJ, what's my name?"

"Well I- wait. Did you just call me BJ?"

Caught off guard Harry responded distractedly, "Yeah, Beetlejuice is too long so I thought, you know. But! If you don't like it I can change-!"

"Calm down kid! I never said I didn't like it! You can call me whatever you want! Beej, BJ, Beetle, Mr. Juice, or hey! You could call me Daddy!"

Harry deadpanned, "I'm not calling you "Daddy", not in a million years."

"Well then, after a million years." Beetlejuice bobbed his head sagely.

"What-no." Throwing his hands up in frustration he pointed accusingly at BJ, "Stop trying to change the subject!"

"Okay, okay, okay," Beetlejuice made a 'calm down' motion with his hands, "I know how important this is to you...Garry."

"No."

"Jerry?"

"No."

"Perry?"

"_No._"

"Terry?"

"_**No.**_"

"...Fernando?"

"_**No!**_ _**Beetlejuice!**__ Where did you even-?_"

That's how they spent most of the night. Dark thoughts driven away by their teasing and light bickering.

Eventually, Harry fell asleep and Beetlejuice, satisfied that the wizard was in a deep sleep. Proceeded to tuck him in, "Goodnight, Harry" Beetlejuice softly whispered. Watching over the boy throughout the night, (not in a perverted way!). Both satisfied with how the day had ended.  
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**A/N: Wow. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! It means soo much to me! As for those of you who didn't review but liked or followed this fic, I also appreciate you! To be honest, I wasn't really feeling this chapter towards the middle, it just wasn't flowing. But I got through! Originally this chapter was going to end with the dementor but I just really liked the 'happy' ending. And I thought I'd cut you some slack and not end in a cliffhanger... this time. ^^ So please review, review, review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Soul Suckers

**A/N: Ok! Sorry about the wait guys! I've been **_**super**_ _**busy**_**, and I have a bunch of other story ideas just begging to be written so I've been jumping in between stories. ****Once again, sorry about all the mistakes I make in writing this story. I'm a beginner guys, my descriptions can be a little iffy sometimes. Anyway, on to the chapter! **

**(Sorry about the grammar and spelling mistakes) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters!  
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**Chapter 3: Soul Suckers  
**

After the whole _incident_, things have been pretty good in Harry's opinion. The Dursleys have left him alone for the most part and with BJ's help, avoiding Dudley and his gang has never been easier. Of course, there were minor hiccups (he had to hold back Beetlejuice form committing murder multiple times), but overall, Harry was ready to call this a successful summer!

"I want you out of the house."

...Or not.

"What?"

Aunt Petunia scowled, hating having to repeat herself, " I'm hosting evening tea today. I expect you to be out of sight for the rest of the afternoon, am I clear?."

Harry nodded, "Crystal."

Petunia turned away to continue arranging the lavish tea set she had taken out of the 'special' cupboard.

Beetlejuice, who had been hovering over his shoulder stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry to the horse-like woman.

"I could trip her."

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, "_For the last time, you can't maim, murder, or scare my relatives!_" He hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

BJ pouted, "Aw! But babes~!"

"_No_."

With that, Harry spun on the heel of his foot and walked out of the house, maybe he could find the local library? Harry wasn't a studious person (not after being beaten for getting an A in a spelling test), so he hasn't seen the point of looking for the public library. But now, maybe he could find something about his mysterious companion. After all, muggles did have the right idea when it came to magic and the supernatural. So maybe he could find some clues on ghosts? It was a long shot, but Harry was willing to look. Now, the only problem was getting rid of BJ for a few hours…

"Hey, what do you do for a liv- I mean, nonliving?"

The ghost who was floating on his back facing the cloudy sky hummed, "Ah well, originally I was a social worker after I died but eh. Fuck that right? So then I tried being a salesman- to sell some of my ideas, ya know? But that was a waste of time. Oh! I was a lawyer once! Yeah, those were the good times! Back when I was alive I..." Beetlejuice paused, frowning.

For some reason, no matter how hard he tried, Beetlejuice could not remember _why_ (though he could guess, he wasn't a nice demon after all) or _how_ he ended up dead. Was he born this way? Who- _**what**_\- is he?

"BJ? _BJ? _**BJ**. _**Beetlejuice!**_"

Beetlejuice startled, "Uh- what? I swear I don't need a wife mom!"

Blinking away the haze of memories, BJ chuckled sheepishly at the unimpressed stare the kid was giving him.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that kid. What were you saying?"

"I was saying," Harry dragged the last word out in annoyance, "that you should go and do your business or whatever in the Netherworld."

"Yeah, right I- wait." The demon squinted his eyes in suspicion, "You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?"

Harry sputtered and shrilled out a "What?!" clearing his throat in nervousness he continued, "I m-mean, no. Of…of course not! Why…why would y oi u think that?!"

"Uh-huh." Beetlejuice gazed at the young wizard, unimpressed, "We really need to work on that."

Now Harry was confused, "Work on what?"

Beetlejuice groaned and gently landed on the concrete to walk beside the kid. Shoving his hands into his pockets, BJ casually said, "I mean, you should learn how to lie better. So…what's this really about?"

Harry bowed his head in defeat. He knew it was going to be next to impossible to pull one over the ghost. Harry had only known him for a couple of weeks but he could tell that much from the start. The boy-who-lived mauled over what to say. On one hand he could tell the truth and potentially make BJ angry with him for trying to snoop. On the other, he could try to lie and risk getting caught, causing BJ to get angry anyways. Really, it was a lose-lose situation. Finally deciding on what to say, Harry opened his mouth to reply to Beetlejuices' question, only to stop short when he realized where they had ended up.

Without him noticing, Harry had unconsciously walked to the nearby park. The park itself wasn't the issue though. No, it was the fact that _everyone _knew that this was Dudley gangs' territory.

Realizing that the young wizard was no longer walking beside him BJ glanced back with a questioning look, "What's wrong?"

Harry responded with a shaky, "We should probably go back."

Too late. A couple of meters away, Harry spotted the on coming group, Beetlejuice also noticing the crew of bullies tried to usher the boy away.

"Yeah, on second thought, let's get out of here kid."

Just as they thought they we're going to be able to leave without trouble, there was a shout.

"Freak!"

Both ghost and boy froze. In an instant they where surrounded (well, technically Harry was the one surrounded, Beetlejuice could leave whenever he liked).

"Well, well, if it isn't The Freak of Privet Drive!" Dudley sneered and the others jeered, relishing in being able to pick on who they perceived to be _weaker_ than them. Physically, Harry was indeed weaker than even the weakest gang member, but, when you take magic into account…

Well, lets just say Harry had survived much more than anyone gave him credit for.

"What do you want, Dudley?" Harry bravely asked.

"What I want? What I want is for you to leave my family alone. But we never get want we want, do we Freak?"

Now, Harry usually took the verbal and physical abuse in silence, it was the best way to minimize the damage. But, well, there's so much abuse one can take without lashing out, especially since Harry had inherited his mothers short temper. It also helped that he had Beetlejuice next to him offering support.

"Really, _Duddykins_? Your weight seems to disagree with you." Harry snarked back, "After all, it's not everyday someone is able to see a whale outside an aquarium!"

Beetlejuice snickered, conjuring up 3D glasses and a popcorn bag filled with squirming bugs. He threw a dung beetle into his mouth, loving the way Harry was putting his bully of a cousin in his place, "You tell him babes!" He cackled.

Likewise, Dudley's friends ohhed in shock and amusement at the well thought out snap back causing the blond boy to turn red in rage and embarrassment. Seething he retorted, "Yeah well, I'm not the one who cries out for a bloke in his sleep!"

The demon snarled at the kids whale of a cousin, curing at the fact that he couldn't be seen. He could _really_ use his best scare-face right now. He eyed his new friend in worry, knowing what a touchy subject Harry's dreams were.

Harry was white in fear, "Where did you-"

Dudley continued with vengeance, seeing an opening in Harry's defenses. Raising the tone of his voice, he mocked Harry, "Cedric! _Cedric_! Cedric **no**!"

The others howled with laughter. Laughter that seemed to echo in Harry's head, ringing repeatedly until they changed and twisted to resemble Voldemort's high, cruel laughter.

Feeling something snap within him. Brandishing his wand and taking a step forward until the tip was digging into his cousin's jugular, Harry snarled, "One more word out of you Dudley and I _swear_. I. Will. End. **You!**"

Beetlejuice, who up to this point was worried for the underfed boy, couldn't help but burst out in laughter, "That's it babes! Show them a reason to be scared!"

Quite suddenly, after Harry's explosion of anger, the clouds started gathering and a rumble sounded from a distance. Dudley gulped in fear, "F- I mean…H-Harry. Y-you know you can't u-use **it** h-here!"

His friends traded glances, confused at the fact that 'Big D' was so frightened of a stick. One of them-Piers- spoke up, "What's wrong Big D? Show that Freak who's the boss!" The others shouted in agreement.

Lightning crackled in the sky and the winds picked up, chilling the air around them. Dudley almost wet his pants, thinking that this was the work of the wizard in front of him. Harry on the other hand, felt his hairs raise in warning.

Everyone else felt _something_ was wrong so they did what any self-preserving human would do: they ran (despite being stupid beyond belief, they _were _cowards).

Harry felt the pressure in the air- as if gravity was dragging them down. It was as if… there was a tangible feeling of despair.

For once, Dudley and Harry locked eyes and immediately came to an agreement; they would both call a temporary truce until whatever this was, went away. Stepping away from each other, they turned and sprinted toward the safety of number 4 Privet Drive. Harry, who was leaner and used to physical activity was far more faster than his heavy set cousin, so more than once he had to grab Dudley's arm to urge him forward.

Panting, their steps made slight squishing sound as they ran through the moist, grassy field.

"I…*pant*…can't…*pantpant*…keep…" Dudley was suffering greatly, he was sweating profusely and couldn't seem to catch his breath.

Harry, too distracted by his terror didn't turn back to see the state his cousin was in and just called over his shoulder some weak encouragements, "C'mon Dudley! You can do it! Just…a little…further!"

At this point Dudley was dragging his feet, so it's no surprise when he went tumbling onto the wet ground. Harry, hearing the thud, turned around and tried helping his cousin up. Wide eyed and franticly trying to haul Dudley up, Harry gazed longingly at the tunnel up ahead not three meters away from them.

"C'mon! _C'mon!_" With strength he didn't know he had, Harry managed to yank Dudley up and drag him into the tunnel.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Two Dementors surrounded them. One blocked the entrance they had just gone through, and the other blocked the way out.

Both cousins leaned on each other, exhausted and terrified out of their wits. Dudley, being a muggle, couldn't see _what _they were running from, just that it was dangerous. He gazed wildly around, searching for the source of the icy hopelessness that gripped him, with no luck. At this moment, Harry sort of envied him for not being able to glimpse the horrifying, twisted, face of a Dementor.

As they drew closer, Harry had only one thing on his mind.

'_WHERE THE HELL IS BEETLEJUICE?!'_

Good question.

Where was Beetlejuice?

Well.

Currently, he was in the safety of his home in the Netherworld.

See, he sensed **exactly **what was coming. Dementors. If there was one thing he feared (besides sandworms and getting staked (thanks Lydia!)), was Dementors. Those soul sucking bastards where the bane of every ghosts afterlife. Unlike the living who where lucky enough to only _half_ of their soul eaten, ghosts had it worse. Since they didn't have bodies, Dementors took advantage of that and ate them whole. Nothing is left. It's a second death. There was a reason they were exiled from the Netherworld. But now, they where here. In Surrey.

Fuck that.

Beetlejuice was out. He had too much to "live" for. _'Sorry kid,'_ he mentally apologized to Harry, _'but I'm not risking it'_.

Sitting on his ripped and moldy recliner, he sighed in contentment. Reaching down to grab the newspaper he left there a few days ago, he began to read;

'Child Dead Due to Neglect!'

The bio-exorcist blinked, and shook his head. Nope. The headline was still there. A guilty feeling was slowly creeping up on him, '_Maybe I should go back,_' viciously shaking his head to get rid of the thought, he scowled at the headline, "It ain't gonna work buck-o!"

He slammed the news paper down on the coffee table, and instead snatched a risqué magazine. Giggling perversely, he gazed at a picture of a busty demoness only to choke in shock when he saw the next page. It was a picture of a sickly looking child strongly resembling Harry and it was titled: 'Help A Child in Need Today! Call 1800-6990666!'

Screeching in horror, Beetlejuice burned the magazine, stomping on it for good measure. Seething he yelled towards the heavens, "What the fuck?! Who the shitty fuck is messing with me? Come at me bro! I'll show you not to mess with my motherfucking porn magazines! You…you BASTARDS!"

He received no response.

Fuming he swore like a sailor for ten minutes straight before calming down. Once he cooled down, Beetlejuice felt his guilt hit him full force. He struggled with what to do. He didn't want to risk being betrayed again. Never again. After dying at the hands of that gothy teen, he swore on his grave that he would follow his golden rule: Never trust breathers. But then he met Harry. And his obsession started all over again. Despite trying his best to keep the kid at a distance, he couldn't help but be drawn in by the natural warmth the brat excluded.

Jeez. He was getting a headache with all this back and forth he was doing. Could you blame him though?

Groaning in defeat he straightened up and gazed up at his cracking ceiling, "Okay, fine! I'll save him! Who fucking cares if I get sucked into the Abyss? 'Cuz fuck me right?!"

_Snap. _

Beetlejuice appeared in front of Harry in a poof of fabulous glitter, centimeters away from the Dementor's hood. Grinning dementedly he gazed right into the Dementors deformed face, "_**Boo**_."  
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**A/N: Yay! Another chapter! *Fist pumps* Really guys. This is a miracle. I usually don't update stories for a loooong while. But I managed it! Somehow. At this point, I'm not really sure where these characters are going personality wise. I mean, I threw in some Cartoon Beetlejuice in there (I think). Its-it's a mess. But! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter nonetheless! **

**(Should I do an Omake where Harry meets all three versions of Beetlejuice? Let me know if you guys would be interested in that.) **


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